This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Nearly every vehicle traveling over the ground includes a suspension system for filtering or isolating the vehicle's body “unsprung portion” from the vehicle's wheels and axles “unsprung portion” as the vehicle travels over road surface irregularities as well as to control body and wheel motion. Suspension systems are also used to maintain a desired vehicle attitude to promote improved stability of the vehicle during maneuvering.
As with any mechanical system, components may wear and the performance of the vehicle suspension system may degrade over time. Typically, the degradation in performance to the vehicle's suspension system occurs slowly over time and the change in system operation is not noticed by the vehicle operator. Unfortunately, depending on the magnitude of suspension system degradation, a decrease in vehicle control, safety and ride comfort may occur. In some instances, the vehicle occupants' spinal system may be negatively affected.
Accordingly, a need exists for a simple and cost effective system to monitor, detect and alert a vehicle operator of the vehicle suspension system operating status.